W e flagged up this dragonfly pendant by the in-demand Rene Lalique a couple of weeks ago, and it did all that was expected of it and more at Woolley and Wallis's sale in Salisbury.

With its superbly shaped central opal, it was in a form that almost became a Lalique trademark at the turn of the last century, when his love affair with natural forms was at its height.

It sold for £42,000 on the hammer, while a rather more modest gilt and enamel brooch in the form of a frieze of classical dancing maidens fetched £12,000.

The pieces were the third and fourth of Lalique's jewels to come under the hammer at Woolley and Wallis over the past 18 months, but the record is still the £58,000 paid for a cicada brooch in July 2008.

The dragonfly pendant resembled it in that the wings of both pieces were created through the plique a jour technique, a great favourite among Art Nouveau jewellers.

It was a form of enamelling similar to cloisonné, but with wires or openwork metal filled with translucent enamel to create a stained glass effect.

Woolley and Wallis's jewellery specialist Jonathan Edwards was happy that the pendant had gone to a New York dealer, who will presumably now be offering it for heaven knows how much.

"I'm delighted we're getting a reputation for selling good Lalique jewellery," says Jonathan. "This sale shows just how global the market is at the moment – and in my view proves that provincial salerooms are just as capable as London of attracting the right buyers."